The Wedding Guest
by ginchy-amanda
Summary: An outsider views Luke and Mara's wedding. Spoilers for Union Comics, written as a SJRS challenge.


_This was written as a challenge at the SJRS message boards. It's my first Star Wars fanfic. I hope everyone enjoys. _

_Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters mentioned below. I just love them all immensly...especially Luke Skywalker. _

_The Wedding Guest_

I knew this day was coming and as it approached I could feel a hard knot of anticipation in my stomach. This day, in actuality, held little real meaning for me, for my life, but for two lives way out in the core of the galaxy, this day held all the meaning and promise any day could possibly hope to.

I woke early today and murmured a soothing response to my husband's slit-eyed, questioning glance in my direction as he watched me dress in the still darkness of our bedroom. He was asleep again almost instantly, not verbally questioning my early rising. I'll be back before he truly wakes, anyway, so I worry little. We've a good marriage, my husband and I, though he can be a bit over-bearing at times. Our life is a hard and simple one, but we take it gladly.

I leave our home quietly so as not to wake my children, blinking as I emerge into the dim light of the early morning. I walk quickly to my destination, knowing I could do this at home, but not wishing to share this moment with anyone, not even my husband, or my children. This is something I wish to see only for myself. Besides, I doubt my husband or children would be interested, or at least, as interested as I am.

The bustle of the morning is just beginning as I reach my destination, and I walk in hesitantly looking around and seeing many whom I know, all looking at the small holoprojector on the counter. I sidle to the counter and find a seat where I have a fairly good view of the screen and settle in to watch the marriage ceremony of Jedi Master Luke Skywalker and his fiancée Mara Jade.

At the moment, the screen is filled with many holoreporters who are standing in front of the building where the ceremony is to take place, all speculating any manner of wild things, anything from what the bride will be wearing, to the honeymoon location, to the idea that this may not in fact be a real wedding at all, but rather an attempt by the New Republic to heal the rift with disgruntled Imperials.

We here on Tatooine, however, seem to know the truth. Few here can actually claim to have really _known_ Luke Skywalker, but we know that he is one of us–a good and decent man, one who would not seek to deceive us by entering into a sham marriage. And I, one of the few who can actually claim to have known the _real _Luke Skywalker can take this even further...I can see the joy, and love that shines in his eyes. I caught a holo of Luke and his fiancée on one of the datapads that are popular with local teens and the site of him staring at her took my breath away. There was so much love and emotion in his blue gaze that I almost bought the datapad, but changed my mind when I noticed the title blaring above the holo, "_Odds Evenly Placed: Skywalker Marriage Will End Within 1 Standard Year"._

I shift my eyes around the cantina and see that a group of young teenage girls have made the pilgrimage out this morning, and I can hear them whispering to themselves about the vaulted Jedi Master, only their whispers detail nothing of his extraordinary abilities or his political clout, instead they speak of "rippling muscles", "intense blue eyes", and "his extremely lucky wife". I wonder what they would think if I were to tell them that Luke was my friend in his youth, and that he had a little crush on me. Or, that we used to tease the naive young boy he was then by calling him "Wormie" and belittling his dreams of space flight and glory.

The girls would probably look at me and laugh, taking note of the lines the suns have carved into my face and of the premature grey that has already taken over most of my once dark hair. But that wouldn't change the truth, the past is as it was, and I was friends with the galaxy's most powerful and well known Jedi.

The din around me begins to recede and I notice that the holoreporters are gone from the screen and now the political celebrities who are arriving are being shown with great aplomb. As ever on Tatooine, the names of those in power hold little meaning to us, but we're all glued to this waiting for the first glimpse of our home-planet hero. The holocams move inside the building, leaving the butter-yellow Coruscant sunlight behind. Finally, the wedding begins, after a few crowd shots are taken. The bride, beautiful in her white gown, walks almost nervously down the aisle, and I wonder at this woman who has won Luke's heart. I've heard rumors about Mara Jade–who hasn't?–but I don't know that any of them are actually true. I've heard that she was Emperor Palpatine's mistress or perhaps his assassin, or maybe even both. I only know that whatever she was or whatever she did in her past, it must not be too bad, or Luke wouldn't be with her.

Mara finally reaches Luke who is resplendent in his dark cloak and yellow and red vest. The hard knot that has been in my stomach for weeks now, it seems, begins to ease, seeing Luke with his bride. _Nothing can stop them now,_ I think, blinking in confusion as the screen goes wobbly for a moment as the camera moves to show a man screaming in the middle of the wedding, something about a _travesty _and a _celebration of destruction_. Several people around me begin to talk, wondering who this man is and what he is doing right in the middle of Master Skywalker's wedding?

I shake my head at the injustice of it all, wondering if perhaps the datapads are right and that Luke's marriage is doomed, but not by his and Mara's faults or mistakes, but rather by the constant demands and problems that are most probably going to be constantly fostered upon them.

But, as we all watch, Luke does what he seems to do best. He calmly and rationally speaks to this man, this terrorist, who has taken over what should be the most special and intimate day of Luke and Mara's lives. And in the end, the man relents, and is invited to join in the celebration.

_That's our Wormie,_ I think fondly, remembering, _Always willing to see the good in others, not the malice they choose to show the galaxy._ The gods know what Fixer and I and our group of friends put him through, but he chose only to see the good in us, not only our teenage boasting and posturing.

The rest of the wedding finishes quickly, with the vows and rings being handed out in short order_–before another terrorist can pop up_, I think with dark humor. I note that Mara mentions trying to kill Luke in her vows and think that maybe the rumors are correct and she was the Emperor's assassin. _A strange start, no doubt, but obviously one that couldn't be overcome._ Luke and Mara kiss to the swell of music and walk down the aisle, joined by hand, as husband and wife.

Spontaneously, everyone here in the cantina raises their glass to their home-planet hero and his bride. I note the love, and pride that reside on Luke's battle-scarred face, and the pleased look upon Mara's. They'll be wonderful together, I know, even if I haven't seen or spoken to Luke in many years and I've never met Mara. To me, they look right together. The screen fades to black for a moment before the holoreporters return to debate every moment of the ceremony, discussing Mara and Luke's attire and whether or not the terrorist was a plant to further the New Republic and Jedi's agenda. I tune it out however, and turn to leave, to head home to Fixer and my children. I pass the table where the group of teenage girls huddle still, bemoaning the marriage of the galaxy's most eligible bachelor. I smile at them and pass, nothing more than an old woman who wished to witness a hero's wedding.

And, in a way, I suppose, it's true...I did wish to witness a hero's wedding. But, more than that, I wished to know that my friend, our Wormie, was happy.

The knot in my stomach has faded, replaced by a smile on my face. The twin suns are steadily climbing as I head back home, ready for my day of work. I look out towards the sky and send my thoughts out over the many light-years, thinking that perhaps Luke will pick them up. _Congratulations, Luke and Mara. You deserve every measure of happiness the galaxy can offer you._

And fervently, as I enter my home, I hope they're given the chance for that happiness.

-_end_

_a/n: I'm always confused by forms of communication in the Star Wars universe. I'm never sure if a datapad could "double" as a magazine/book and if a holo-projector would be the same as a television. If anyone knows and could leave a review, that would be great! Thanks. _


End file.
